A couple of adventurers
by I'mNoOneSpecial
Summary: Link is on an adventure, but not to save Hyrule (he already did) but to clear his mind off a girl. But what will happen once he meets a girl who looks like him, so much that they could practically be siblings? Both have the same problems, both need a listening ear, both need someone to comfort them. This is NOT going to be ZeLink! ON HIATUS!
1. A couple of fighters

_**Another attempt at Legend of Zelda fanfiction... This one is supposed to become 5 chapters.**_

 _ **The girls should love this one...**_

 _ **I own nothing of the Legend of Zelda franchise.**_

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Moodily, Link sat down at the bar, taking one of the stool before the barkeeper.

"What'll ye have man?"

Link asked for a large tankard of ale, which the barkeeper soon brought over. After nodding his thanks, Link took a gulp of the brew, wishing that the cold would clear away his unhappy thoughts. Thoughts about the princess...

"Whooooaaa...! Look'it dat lassie!"

Link sighed and took another swig; he really didn't want to think about women right now. Alas, all the whistles and rude calls somehow made him glance at her.

At once his disinterest was replaced by surprise!

Walking down the stairs from the upper floor, a hylian girl came down into the inn's dining hall. She was a couple of years too young to call her a woman. She had bright blonde hair and sky-blue eyes, and wore a green hooded coat over her light traveling clothes, which were above a pair of sturdy thigh-high leather boots.

Normally, all those things would have made no impression on Link but... Never had Link wondered what he'd look like as a girl... but looking at her, he instantly knew that he would look similar to, if not exactly like her! Was she his lost sister or something?!

Annoyed by all the men, the girl made her to the bar, decidedly refusing to look at any of the ruffians. But she had to look at the bar she jerked to a halt; eyes wide, mouth agape.

After a moment she sat on one of the stools, leaving two between herself and Link, and never taking her eyes off him.

"What'll ye have lass?"

"...your strongest brew..."

Link thought he should have ordered that too.

A short moment later the girl received her drink and raised the tankard to her lips.

"Ah."

"Y-yes?"

"Um..." Why had he spoken out like that?

After a moment of uncertainty, Link hesitantly raised his tankard in a cheers-gesture.

With a confused but kind smile the girl raised hers as well and they both drank (though neither knew what they were drinking to.)

After putting down their tankards down on the counter-top (the girl was grimacing a bit) they took a long look at each other. Eventually they came to terms with the strange experience of meeting a look-alike of the opposite sex, and soon they were grinning stupidly at each other.

Then a pair of ruffians came over...

"'Ey prettie, com wit' us, will ya?"

"I'm with him." She gestured at Link, who nodded in agreement; stranger or not, he'd never leave a woman in the company of such shady characters.

But the thug who had placed himself between her and Link just sneered, "Nah... we were watching yew tew. Yer not with dat bum."

He was about to put his dirty paw of a hand on her shoulder when suddenly he gasped and almost folded in half; the girl had driven her small elbow in between his rips!

"Why ye- ARRGH!" Quick like a striking viper her arm had snapped, back-fisting her little fist into the other ass' eye!

"Ye bi-?!" Still holding his aching side, the other scumbag raised his fist but something prevented him from fully doing so.

He turned his surprised head right in time to receive a left hook full-force face-on. The idiot had threatened the wrong girl and bad-mouthed the wrong guy; no one called Link a bum!

Speaking of the girl, she grabbed the other bastard by his hair and rammed his head nose-first into the edge of the counter-top. Still holding on to him, she slid off her stool and practically threw him towards Link, who welcomed him with a right straight punch that knocked the rogue onto his back, sliding a few feet across the floor.

Link and the girl relaxed a bit but stood ready as they looked at the two thugs.

...Link didn't know much about fist-fighting...

Both the ruffians were out cold and would probably be so until the next morn.

...but he'd be damn good at it!

The girl looked at Link appreciatively, "Thanks for the help! ...?"She followed Link's gaze when he didn't react and sighed, "...of course... unruly bastards are always in a pack...!"

Two more thugs were menacingly coming over; weapon in hand.

Suddenly the girl felt Link's gaze on her. He nodded to her and she nodded back. Slowly they stepped away from each other and unsheathed their swords, their blades singing out in unison, as though to call out a warning!

Link held his trustworthy hand-and-a-half sword, a sturdy well-balanced blade suited for any kind of combat. The girl on the other hand held a simple one-handed sword; it was seemed light and a bit short, and the blade was somewhat narrow too. Link recognized it as a dueling sword, not one for battle.

Link confronted the ruffian with a crude, single-edged battleaxe.

For a moment they just stared at one another, studying each other...

Then the brute yelled and charged; axe high above his head!

Calmly, Link let him approach and moved his swordarm across his chest...

As the axe descended, Link forcefully knocked the weapon aside! Before the thug could pull it back, Link swung his sword back inward! He could have beheaded the hoodlum right then and there but Link was kind enough to just slam the flat steel full-force against the scum's skull.

Ignoring the man on the floor, Link turned his attention to the girl's fight.

It did not go so smoothly; the girl's thin shortsword was not really good against the bastard's rough spiked club, and his arms were longer too, so she couldn't get a cut in. But she was quite nimble on her feet!

"War's the matta, girlie? Yer afraid?" The dirtbag taunted.

But the girl just smirked, "Of what? You're so slow and your swings are weak and sloppy! I don't even need my sword! I could win just by dodging seeming that you're too fat and slow to keep up!"

"Why you-?!" The hot-headed idiot swung his club again and again, almost running after the retreating girl to make the hit.

Suddenly she stopped and let the spiked club come at her before ducking to the side at the last moment!

Wham!

The club hit one of the wooden posts that supported the upper floor.

Smirking, the girl dashed in; Link was smirking too!

The bastard pulled back his club to strike again! ...but the spikes of his club got stuck in the wooden post!

"YAAARGH!"

Link's face scrunched; that thin blade cutting across the face... must have felt like a whiplash!

The girl wasn't done!

Whumph!

"Ooooooohhhh..."

Link winched and had the urge to cover his groin...

The girl went in for the kill; grabbing the ass' head, she jumped up and pulled down! Knee met face and the buffoon was out!

After giving her knee a quick rub, she made her way back to the bar when she caught Link looking at her. He was smiling at her with acknowledgement and respect.

 _Nice._

The girl blushed and smiled back in appreciation.

Suddenly a group of armed men rushed into the inn and held everyone at sword-point.

"What is happening here?!"

Seeing Link and the girl among the men they brought down, the armed men immediately surrounded them, and the two found themselves facing the pointed steel of spears...

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 _ **Damn cliffhanger, I know, but this is just the introductory chapter. Don't worry the next follows soon.**_

 _ **Weird, the manuscript looked a whole lot more than this...**_

 _ **Reviews would be greatly appreciated**_

 _ **-I'mNoOneSpecial**_


	2. A couple of stories: First Story

**Author's Notes:**

 **Sorry. This took a bit to encode, and I got side-tracked by something else. Anyway enjoy.**

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Despite being surrounded by a dozen men each in full armor holding a shield and spear pointed at him, Link showed no fear. He made no motion to resist, but he did step in front of the girl, putting himself in between her and as many of the armed men as he could.

"Wait sir!" the innkeeper called out, "It's not these two I called you for!" The innkeeper quickly explained to the captain what had happened; how the two ruffians had tried to take liberties on the girl, how the other two had come over, weapon in hand and blood on their mind, and how Link and the girl had subdued the rogues.

"Good work you two; we will take care of these louts to the town's prison." The captain said while his men took care of the thugs. Link and his new friend breathed out in relief; for one moment they thought that they would be thrown behind bars as well!

When the townguards had left, the two sat down again at the bar to continue their drinking.

"Um..."

Link turned to her silently asking her what was wrong.

...wait. Why were they sitting next to each other now?

"Sorry that you got pulled into this... and thanks for your help."

Link smiled and assured her that he had wanted to help and that he was glad that he did.

"Thanks again for standing up for me like that..." her voice was soft and sounded touched.

Link waved it off, saying it was no big deal.

"You were really good back there."

Link laughed and said that she was one heck of a fighter herself!

The girl blushed, "Oh no! I'm not good at all!" Then she seemed rather down, "...I actually don't know how to fight properly at all..."

Link had noticed that her way of fighting seemed improvised and self-taught... as though she had never been properly taught.

"...you're right..." the girl drank sadly from her tankard, "...no one wanted to train me. They all think that a girl like me wouldn't make a good fighter..."

Link chuckled and shook his head. He wondered what they would think if they met the Gerudos.

"The Gerudos? Why, who are they?"

Smiling, Link told her about the warrior women of the desert.

The girl looked at him with wide eyes, "A warrior tribe composed only of women?! Is there really something like that?!"

Link nodded.

"Say, how do I get to them?!" She asked excitedly.

Link raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Well... since they are warrior women maybe they will train me!"

Link contemplatively drank from his tankard. Why did she want to learn to fight so badly?

"I want to prove myself!" She said firmly, "Back home no one takes me seriously. Father doesn't believe that I could become an adventurer like him, mother wants me to become a normal housewife and my fellow knights won't accept me just because I'm a girl!"

Link straightened up; she was a knight?

"Ah! ... ...yes..." the girl said without any pride, and gloomily drank from her tankard, "I did my prince a great service and he had me knighted... I am the first lady knight in the history of my country... but nobody believes my story when I tell them, and they don't believe I'm a knight either..."

Surprised and curious, Link asked her about it.

"Oh... well..." the girl took a swig, "the prince I mentioned is the crown prince of my country, he's the only son of our queen, and his father died years ago. Our prince is kind and gentle and compassionate, but many think that we need someone made of sterner, stronger stuff..." she took another swig before continuing, "One day one of his royal advisers plotted to take over our kingdom and tricked our prince to go on a hunting trip to prove his bravery by killing a boar, or something like that... that's how he came to my village..."

Her eyes clouded longingly as she lost herself in a fond memory, and her lips broke into a smile. She took another moment to laugh.

"When I first met I had just beaten up one of our local bullies, a large boy with a loud voice but who was pretty much all talk... I was bruised and dirty and my clothes were a mess just like my hair... But the worst thing was that I didn't recognize that the rider before me was the prince of my country until one of his knights berated me... "

Link couldn't help smirking; he too has had a embarrassing moment or two where he had failed to recognize a noble.

"The prince though wasn't offended. He was very kind to me... and he called me 'young lady'..." the girl signed lovingly.

Link looked at her wonderingly, and quietly drank from his tankard.

"It was the first time that someone and sincerely called me that..."

Link asked what she meant.

"Urgh..."

Maybe he better hadn't!

"...my father used to be an adventurer and when I was little he would always tell me about his travels and the places he had visited..." she raised her tankard but found it empty, "Barkeep!"

The man came over, took her tankard and got to refill it.

"...I admired my father and wanted to become like him and go on adventures" she drank a big draught as soon as her tankard returned; Link didn't notice himself mimicking her.

Her tankard wet down with a slam!

"But whenever I asked him to teach how to become an adventurer he just laughed! Or told me that adventuring wasn't for girls!" she angrily drank another gulp, "So I tried to prove myself to him! I did hard work, like chopping wood and carrying buckets full of water, to make myself strong! I learned everything I could about our country, its provinces and its neighbors. And I stood up to the village bullies and fought them! But-!"

Link drank from his tankard, while she took a moment to calm.

"But no matter what I did or how hard I tried he just didn't acknowledge me!"

Link gave her a smile of sympathy...

"And to top if off, everybody started calling me the she-man!"

Link blinked; she-man?!

"Yeah!" the girl confirmed with scorn, "They called me that because they thought I was more of a boy than a girl! Some even said I was a boy in a dress!"

Link's mouth fell open; she-man?! Boy-in-a-dress?! A pretty girl like her?!

"Ah!" Link was just as shocked at his words as she was. Probably just as red as well!

"...thank you..."

Link blinked at her, surprised.

After a while Link asked her to continue her story.

"Um..." She took a moment to remember where she left off, "Ah yes, the prince... Well, he asked me of I could direct him and his retinue to the mansion of our local governor. I did and then the prince and men were on their way..." She drank once again from her tankard "The next day I went into the forest. I was upset again about my father and everyone. After walking a bit, I suddenly heard someone calling out to me. To my shock it was the prince; all alone and injured. I rushed over to him and went straight to binding his wounds. While I did he told that he and his knights had been ambushed by a group of rogues. And two of his knights had turned against him as well! The knights still loyal to him had sacrificed themselves so that he could escape. Then I lifted him to carry him to my village but he stopped me."

Link raised an eyebrow and looked at her expectantly.

After wetting her throat the girl explained "You see, the prince thought that his ambushers were too battle-experienced for brigands, so he guessed that they were mercenaries hired to kill him, and that they would search my village for him."

Link nodded; it made sense.

"Huh?"

Link emptied his tankard before handing it over for a refill. Then he explained. Mercenaries didn't get paid unless they got the job done, meaning they'd have to find the prince, dead or alive. They would have searched the nearest settlement since the prince had escaped but was wounded, alone and in need of help. Had she brought him to her village, she might have delivered him straight into their arms.

"You're smart. Yes, that's what the prince told me."

Not to mention that by housing the prince could have got her and her family killed. Link got his tankard back and took a swig.

"Wait! What?!"

After Link put down his tankard, he explained that mercenaries were not cheap to hire; more so a large group of ones tough enough to kill trained knights. So however hired them must have been rich, like a noble, and only a high-ranking noble could have slipped assassins into the prince's personal guard.

"You're right...It was that royal adviser I mentioned... " The girl confirmed impressed, "But what does that have to do with my family?"

Link simply replied that that adviser would have arranged to have her family killed just so that they couldn't say anything that might have given away the adviser's involvement in the prince's assassination.

"But we didn't know anything!" The girl was both shocked and upset.

Link brought down his tankard, having just taken a sip, and smiled grimly; that adviser wouldn't have cared either way.

The girl was shocked into silence. But only a moment later she scowled.

"...that bastard is SO lucky that he got beheaded..." she muttered before she took another drink.

Link blinked and wondered what she meant by that. After a while, he asked her to continue her story.

"Um... well... I brought the prince to a small cave not that far away from my village; and every night and whenever I could I snuck out to bring him food, clothes, medicine, whatever he needed, and to nurse him as best I could.

Then one day I heard that our queen was going to marry again, and the prince promptly decided to return to the castle. Since he was still weak and hurt, I went with him. The prince feared that there might be another attack on him, so he dressed up as a commoner and pretended to be lame. And I became his sister who accompanied him to see a healer in the capital. When we reached the capital we made it just in time for the wedding. In fact, the queen was just about to exchange vows with her soon-to-be-husband, but we stopped the wedding and the prince was reunited with his mother... And then-"

Link cut in at that point; how did they manage to stop the wedding?

"U-um... I-I..." the girl blushed.

Link looked at her expectantly.

"It's not so important!" She caught Link's look at her, "Okay! I picked the nearest unruly ass in the crowd and shoved him and told him to let me through! Of course he got angry, which gave me the perfect excuse to start a fight. And since it was such a dense crowd, it didn't take long for it to spread and soon almost everybody outside the chapel was fighting each other, and the guards had their hands trying to protect everybody inside the church. I slipped away with the prince and went to the guards and begged them to take in my poor lame brother so that he wouldn't get hurt. Once he was in, he got as close to the queen as he could before calling out to her."

Link blinked. Talk about diversion!

"Well... the queen recognized him at once, and the wedding was canceled now that the crown heir was back. The prince was brought to the castle and I came along. The same evening I was invited to have dinner with the queen and the prince, and we told her everything that had happened after the prince's hunting trip. But then all of a sudden a bunch of men armed with crossbows burst in to kill us!"

Link listened with anticipation.

"They had expected to meet an old queen, her injured son and a frail village-girl. So imagine their surprise when I knocked over the heavy oak table and pulled down the queen and the prince before their bolts hit us! More so when one of them decided to stab us with his sword and got an oak chair on his head from me!" The girl proudly proclaimed.

Link however gulped.

"I tried to fight back by throwing knives and forks and whatever at them but it didn't work. So I grabbed whatever I could throw, smashed all the windows in the hall and screamed for help as loud as I could! People heard me, and the men ran to escape; I didn't let them though! I picked up the crossbow of the guy I knocked out and ran after them!"

Link looked at her with awe and respect; that girl was good!

"The next moment I was born down by a couple of guards; the idiots had thought that **I** was the one who had caused all the mess! Luckily, the queen and the prince were nearby. The buffoons got a boot in their groins from me! "

Link nervously took a swig; the girl was smaller and more innocent looking than Princess Zelda, but he feared that she was more dangerous when roused!

The girl also drank, to wet her throat.

"Afterwards they interrogated the two guys I caught, which led to the execution of that adviser and his henchmen and to my knighting."

Link waited her her to continue, but when she just drank from her tankard, Link decided to ask.

Immediately her mood darkened.

"I... " she started, "I decided to stay at the castle... and I tried to fit in... but the others won't let me..."

Link had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew what she meant; he asked about her fellow knights.

"They don't consider me a knight!" she answered bitterly "They say a village girl like me should never have been knighted!"

Link's expression tightened.

The girl emptied her tankard, brought it down hard, asked for a refill and downed another mouthful as soon as she got her tankard back.

"The master-at-arms refuses to teach me! 'Says it's too hard for a girl to handle! When I try to prove him wrong he just ignores me! Even though I'm ten times better than those lousy excuses for soldiers!"

Another big mouthful of strong brew went down her throat.

"And when I fight it's no different! If I win they don't acknowledge my victory because I fight 'unknightly' and 'underhanded'... Of course when those 'honorable', 'noble' men try dirty tricks against me everything is fine!"

By now the girl seemed close to tears.

"But the worst thing is-"

That the prince did nothing about it, and neither did the queen, Link finished.

The girl looked at him with big eyes; "How did you...?"

How did he know? Because he was in a similar dilemma...

He took a good drink from his tankard.

"Oh...?" Not knowing what to say she too took a swig.

After a moment Link asked her if she loved the prince.

The girl stiffed.

"...yes..." she admitted quietly, "...I think I fell in love with him when we first met... but... I didn't think much of it... after all... he's a prince... and I'm just a village girl... But after I saved him... after nursing him, befriending him and traveling with him all these days... I thought I had a chance... like in those fairy tales where the prince marries a common village girl simply because they love one another..."

But it simply wasn't that simple, Link well knew. Castlefolk and nobles were like that; Link too had learned it the hard way...

That made up Link's mind!

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 **Author's notes:**

 **Wow, maybe I shouldn't have watched those Terence Hill - Bud Spencer fight scenes on youtube! All this violence and fighting in my story...**


	3. A couple of stories: Second Story

**Author's Notes:**

 **Sorry this took so long; I got something of a life and it's interfering with my private life.**

 **I had hoped that the last chapter would get 2 reviews or one at the very least. Well, this one should be more to your liking!**

 **Oh and special thanks to Darcie11 and Fox McCloude! They gave me some very good advice and I will try my best to follow it when writing the next chapter!**

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"...what...?"

He'd take to the Gerudo fortress, Link repeated.

"You mean it?"

Link nodded. And was surprised to find himself in her arms the next moment!

"...thank you so much..."

Touched and embarrassed, Link gently pulled himself out of her embrace.

"When do we leave?!" The girl asked excitedly.

Link answered that they would leave after the expedition.

"Huh? What expedition?"

Link blinked. She wasn't here to join?

"Um... no." The girl's face turned sour, "I've had it with those damned castlefolk and decided to go home. But I got lost, and when I saw the lights of this town I naturally headed here..."

Worried, Link asked her where she lived. But her answer had him confused; wasn't that in-?

"Yup. I come from Termina."

Link was stunned. That would mean...

"...What?!"

She was no longer in Termina! She had crossed the border into a neighboring country!

"No way!"

Link assured her that it was so!

"How the heck did that happen?! I followed the map and everything!"

Link checked her map and, although it wasn't the newest nor the most detailed, it was correct... he asked her then if she had a compass.

"Yeah, I do." She showed her the big compass she wore around her neck.

Link looked at it... and the next moment he pulled out his own, and-

"Hah?! Why wouldn't it point north?!"

Link said it was probably broken-

"NO WAY!" The girl looked horrified, and frantically checked her compass, "It can't be-! It just CAN'T be broken!"

Surprised at her outburst Link asked her what was wrong.

"This compass is a precious family heirloom! It's been within my family for nearly two centuries! It just CAN'T be broken!"

Link told her to calm down, and when she didn't he offered to take a look at it.

"Please do!" She said handing over the device.

As soon as Link held it in his hands he knew something was off. He carefully inspected it.

"Please tell me it's not broken! Please, please, _please_!"

Link eyed the device suspiciously; how had her family come to own it?

"Around two centuries ago a traveling swordsman stayed at my family's place. That swordsman was the legendary hero of destiny Link..."

Link smiled secretly.

"When he left to continue his journey, it was left behind. He never returned so we were never able to give it back and since then it has become our family's treasure."

Link asked her what else she knew about it.

The girl shrugged, "It's supposed to be magical or something, but-"

It was!

"Huh?"

Link pulled out a compass from his bag.

"Hah?! Why do you have two compasses?"

Link showed her his second compass.

"What kind of compass is that?" she wanted to know, "Why does it have three needles? And why do they point into three different directions?"

Link explained that this was a magical compass, or rather, it was three magical compasses in one. The red needle was sensitive to evil and dark magic; monsters. The blue needle was sensitive to "good" magic; fairies.

"And the green needle?"

Link spoke a few words in a tongue the girl had never heard and at the same time he drew on the tabletop with his finger. A small symbol was faintly glowing in a green light. Link moved his compass back and forth, from side to side; no matter where he moved the compass, the green needle would point to the mark.

"Cute... what's that good for?"

To find his way out of dungeons; Link would just mark the entrance.

"And what about my compass?" She asked.

Link took a moment to see if her compass pointed into any of the directions that his compass' needles pointed to. It did! The red one!

"So that compass points towards monsters...?"

Link nodded. The compass she held must be indeed the one the legendary hero Link had used; he was known for venturing into dark dungeons in order to vanish evil monsters.

"Huh...?" The girl let the words sink in, "Well that explains why I always run into trouble!"

Link blinked at her in confusion.

"Um..." she began counting off on her fingers, "...before I got here I ran into a bandit's hideout... then there was that time I ventured into a cave and found myself face-to-face with some huge unworldly beast... I also stumbled unto a thief's lair... and before that I was in some haunted ruins... or was it that creepy swamp where that crazy old witch lived...?"

Link decided on something right there.

"What did you just say?!"

Link repeated what he said; he was going to teach her everything about adventuring he could: sword-fighting, archery, riding, tracking, survival in the wild, everything! And he'd take her along on the expedition.

"Seriously?!"

Link nodded. She was going to get killed otherwise... He didn't say that though.

"Ohthankyouthankyou!" She nearly crushed Link in her bear hug. But then she remembered something, "Wait. What's that expedition about?"

Link told her that in the woods beyond the town they were currently in, a large ruin city had been discovered. The king was funding a large expedition to clear and explore this city; which is why this town was currently full of adventurers, and scholars. They were all here to explore the ruins and recover any treasure and artifacts and to protect the scholars. Link was one of the adventurers who had signed up.

"And you want me to come along? But I have never been on such an expedition!"

Link shook his head; she didn't have to worry. The expedition would start in a few days, and in that time he would teach as much as he could. The rest he would teach her during the expedition. Once it was over, he would continue to teach her on their trip to the Gerudo fortress; about their ways and culture... And he'd prepare her for their trials.

"What are those trials?"

The Gerudos usually kept to themselves, Link explained, but sometimes they accepted outsiders as honorary members of their tribe; if they passed their trials.

"You mean I'd be a Gerudo if I pass those trials?"

Link nodded. Well, almost. She'd be more of a very good friend to the tribe.

The girl looked worried, "And will they teach me how to fight?"

Link nodded again; he himself had been taught by the Gerudos much about riding and horse archery, not to mention survival in the desert.

The girl practically glowed with happiness... and promptly gave Link another hug.

"...thank you so much... that's so sweet of you..."

Link chuckled; embarrassed. He said it was no big deal- "Ah!"

"Oops" The girl, too was now embarrassed, "All this talking and we haven't even told each other our names! I'm Linkle!"

Link stared at her wide-eyed and his lips moved on their own.

"Whaddya mean 'Are you serious?!' Of course I am! It's \- my \- name!"

Link flinched back! It just had to slip out...

The girl looked away indignantly and pouted, "I will have you know that I was named after the legendary hero Link, who defeated the evil demon-king and his army of monsters, over a century ago! So I'm rather proud of my name!"

Link hurried to explain!

"...you too were named after him?! Your name's Link?!"

A nod and an affirmative "Um" was his answer.

Linkle blinked then took a drink.

"So..." she started after setting down her tankard, "...we both have practically the same name... we kinda look alike... and we both into adventuring..." Linkle summarized, "Huh... that's so crazy!"

Link agreed and lifted his tankard to drink, but stopped to ask her a question.

"Wha-?! Ahaha!" Linkle laughed, "No! I'm an only child." She giggled some more, "Why do you ask?"

Link smiled sadly; he'd never known his parents , nor where he came from...

"Oh..." Linkle looked down, "...I'm sorry..."

He just smiled and emptied his tankard before handing it over for a refill.

Meanwhile Linkle set down hers before, too, handing it over for a refill.

"...still this really is something... 'Makes you wonder what else we got in common..."

Link nodded.

Linkle looked at the ceiling and put her her finger below her chin "Well..." she mused "...since I'm a lady knight and a heroine... I guess you are too?"

Link unhappily nodded.

"No way!" Linkle got her tankard back "So I'm Lady Linkle and you're Sir Link, huh? I think I'll drink to that!"

But at the last moment she froze.

"...wait... **Sir** Link?! Are you-Umph!" Link quickly clapped his hand over her mouth; he **so** didn't want her to shoot it out loud!

She pushed his hand away and spoke in a hushed but barely controlled voice, "Are you Sir Link of Hyrule?!"

Link sighed and nodded.

"You're Link Swiftwind?!" She whisper-shouted, "The reincarnated hero of this age?! The hero who single-handedly brought victory to Hyrule in the war against the dark warlord Ganondorf and his horde of evil monsters?!"

Link sighed again. That was too exaggerated; yes, he did play a great part in that war, but it was definitely not just his doing!

"I don't believe it... ca-can I-?"

Not bothering to let her finish, he pulled the leather glove off his left hand and held it out to her; he was so tired of this!

Linkle took no notice, she just stared at the golden mark at the back of Link's hand. Seeing her awed look, Link really hoped that she was not another of his crazy admirers!

Open-mouthed she turned back at him. Then she blinked. "U-um... you know..."

Link wasn't sure what to make of that strange look she gave him.

"...you don't look at all like what I expected..."

...oh... she was one of those people who thought he was nothing more than a peasant...

"...I thought you'd be more... I dunno; princely? Knightly?"

Link snorted; why should he be? It wasn't as though all princes were princely! Nor were all knights knightly!

Linkle pulled a sour face, "Ugh... Don't remind me..." That's when she noticed the miffed look on Link's face. "Sorry, I just thought... I just thought you'd look more... heroic? ...more impressive?"

That didn't help one bit!

"...and not so ordinary like me..."

Well... now that Link thought about it, she too didn't strike him as a warrioress or a lady-knight... if anything, Link thought her to be just a pretty girl...

"Ah!" Damn, he did it again!

"...andyou'rejustacuteguy!"

"Ah?"

"Nothing!"

Not knowing what to say Link took another swig of ale.

And Linkle decided to break the awkward silence, "So... is it true what they say about the way you fight?"

Link looked at her questioningly.

"I heard you strike and dodge so swiftly and so quickly that no one can dodge you and no one can catch you... just like the wind."

Link couldn't help but snigger; the reason he was called 'Swiftwind' was a horse race and a couple of drunken farmers!

"...what?!"

Link wet his lips before starting his story. At first, Link had been working on a large farm called 'Lon Lon farm' where his childhood friend, a girl called Malon, lived and worked. And Link's job on that farm was...

"A stableboy?! You?! You mean you'd feed horses, groom them and clean up their shi- their mess?!" Linkle asked disbelievingly, "I can't imagine you like that!"

Link smiled sheepishly and asked her if she'd believe him if he told her that while he really enjoyed talking care of horses... he'd much rather just ride them!

"You mean..." Linkle mirrored his mischievous smile.

Link nodded. As soon as he was done with his duties (more or less) he'd go riding as much as he could, whenever he could!

"I'd probably do the same!" Linkle laughed. Suddenly she got serious, "Can you teach me how to ride as well?"

Link blinked at her. Her fellow knights didn't even teach her that?!

"No..."

What about that prince of hers?

Linkle sadly shook her head.

Link promised to teach her that as well. He then continued his story. Before long Link was a skilled rider at a young age, and he started performing tricks: standing on the horse while it ran, standing and riding on two horses at once, picking flowers in the middle of the ride... but what he enjoyed most was competing in horse races!

"Were you good?"

Link nodded. His village held a horse race every year, and ever since he first joined Link won every year. Then one day his friends urged him to participate in a big horse race that was held in a nearby town; and so Link did.

"Did you win?"

Link nodded again. His competitors were good, but with Epona, his powerful and enduring mare, Link won.

"So where do the farmers come in?"

Link got to that now. Link was consiered the underdog in that race, so one was betting on him... except for for all his friends and the villagers who knew him! And they bet everything they could; every single last rupee they had saved! So when Link won the race, each of them won a fortune in rupees! His friend Malon was finally able to buy a dress that she had her eyes on for months; and she still had some money left! Her father, a burly man named Talon, and the other men though decided to head to the nearest tavern to celebrate and Link was dragged along. In the drinking that followed everybody congratulated him and commented how fast he was and how swiftly he rode...

"Ah..." Linkle saw where this was going.

Link nodded. Talon said Link rode as swiftly as the wind, and his farmhand, a man named Ingo, who was usually a total jerk but a surprisingly nice guy when drunk, promptly dubbed him, Link 'Swiftwind.' And since then, the name has stuck to him.

Linkle could barely contain her giggles, "So you're called 'Swiftwind' because of a drunken farmer?!"

Worse, Link was **named** 'Swiftwind' **by** a drunken farmer!

Now Linkle couldn't help but laugh!

"Oh well... I still think it's a good name..." Then she remembered something, "So how did a horse racer like you end up as a hero?"

Link sighed. He wasn't that eager to tell that story. First he took a drink again.

After he had won that race, Malon and her father let him have Epona; and from his winnings Link bought himself a sword.

"Huh? Why would a stableboy need a sword?"

Link explained that he had enough of being a stableboy; since long he had decided to become a courier.

"Why a courier?"

Because as a courier Link was getting paid for doing what he enjoyed most: riding horses as fast as he could! Not only that, he got to travel; he finally got out of his village, visit villages, towns and cities, see places, meet all kinds of people!

"I see... but what does a sword have to do with becoming a courier? Don't couriers just deliver important documents and messages?"

Link nodded. But that was exactly why he decided to carry sword; because couriers carried important documents, and sometimes even valuables, they were often hounded by highwaymen, which is why Link learned to fight with a sword, both on and off horseback, and horse archery as well.

"Oh, I see... well? Did you get to be a courier?"

Link nodded again. But he also admitted that it was not quite as fun as he thought it would be... Especially the pay! Overall though, Link had been happy with his new trade.

Linkle seemed to think while she drank.

"And how did you get from courier to war hero?"

Link told her that one day a great horde of monsters was sighted approaching Hyrule, and immediately the country was preparing for war! Link had been very busy during these days; couriers were suddenly needed and sent everywhere! Then one day, when Link was resting in a town after a delivery,he was suddenly called in by the mayor. The townguards had rescued a soldier from a band of bulblin riders, outside of town. The soldier had been sent from the frontlines to deliver an important message to the king, and the bulblins tried to intercept him. Seeing that the soldier was had been too injured to carry out his order, the town mayor had asked Link to deliver the message instead. And so Link was to deliver his first message to the king of Hyrule!

"And that's how you met your beloved princess?"

Link spat out the ale he had been drinking. His beloved princess?!

"Um... are you not marrying the princess...?"

Link stared at her flabbergasted. Who gave her THAT idea?!

Now it was Linkle's turn to look surprised, "Uh... everybody says so..."

People thought that he, Link, was engaged to Princess Zelda?! What were they saying?!

"They say that you and the princess are madly in love with each other, and that you get to marry her even though you are of common birth."

Link was aghast! How could they say that?! That wasn't true! It... wasn't...

Dejectedly, Link took a large swig.

"Link...?"

Link, almost absent-mindedly, decided to tell her the true story... before those rumors got any worse...

When Link had gotten to the castle with that message, he was immediately brought to the war room. There, the king, his daughter the princess, and his generals and commanders were discussing the war. After Link had handed over the message and explained why he had it, he had been dismissed from the hall. But instead of leaving, Link had chosen to wait outside.

"Huh? What for?"

Link got to that now. After a short while, the doors opened, and a servant came out; the king needed a courier! That was what Link had been waiting for, so he stepped right in and offered to deliver the message.

Oh, and in doing so, he shocked the entire war council!

"How did you know they would need a courier?!"

Link knew simply by being a courier. When Linkle didn't understand Link explained that it happened often enough that once he delivered an urgent message to a noble or someone important it would prompt him to send a message to reply, or to be sent somewhere else. In short; many urgent messages led to new ones, meaning all Link had to do after his delivery was wait for a bit and he'd be on his next job! Which happened more often during the war.

"Oh! ...how did the council react to it?" She asked before taking a sip.

Link chuckled before emptying his tankard. He went on while the barkeeper refilled it.

At first the council had been shocked to see Link walk back in and then offer to deliver the message. The next moment the council had been outraged: one had demanded to know why Link hadn't left, another had wanted to know how Link had known that they needed a courier, a third had accused Link of breaking the seal and reading the message!

"And how did they react to your explanation?" Linkle asked smirking.

They had been dumbfounded. Link wished she had been there; the king, the princess all those noble knights... all their faces practically screaming 'Am I dumb?'

Linkle laughed out in delight, "So much for the so-called educated and knowledgeable noble class!"

Link swore their faces were almost as good as those of the guards!

"Guards? What guards?"

"Ah-" Did Link fail to mention them? Before The large door to the war-room were two guards; rather rude ones.

"Of course..." Linkle's face was full of understanding.

When Link had remained in the hall, the guards had told him to get out or they would throw him into the dungeons. But Link had held his ground and insisted that the council would soon need a courier like him. That led to a bet: If the council did not send for a courier within the next half hour, then Link would pay each guard 20 rupees and if the council did, then each guard would have to pay him 20 rupees.

"And the next moment a servant came out looking for a courier," Linkle guessed.

Link nodded; it was so. The guards had to hand over the money and their faces were as though they had smelled rotten eggs.

Linkle laughed again, "'Probably served them right."

Link knew what she meant. Guards could be so rude and unfriendly; and they acted all high even though they were low in the ranks.

"Ah! What did the king and his council say once they got over their stupor?"

It had been neither the king not his council who first came back to their senses; it was the princess. She had complimented Link on his insight and readiness to serve, and the king quickly agreed with his daughter. It had been his intention to send Link to the frontlines with the reply message but the princess had other plans; since Link was so insightful, not to mention brave enough to face the king and his highest-ranking knights, the princess had wanted him to go to Death Mountain and the Zora Domain instead.

"What's this Death Mountain and Zora Domain?"

Link told her that Death Mountain was a dangerous volcano, but that didn't tell Linkle anything. Link need to wet his throat first before he explained to her that a volcano was a mountain that spewed ash and burning rocks. Link told her to imagine a blacksmith's furnace, filled with hot, molten iron; a volcano was petty much like that, just larger.

"Does a mountain like that really exist?"

Link said it did, but Linkle still looked unconvinced; he'd just have to take her to Death Mountain along the way to the Gerudo desert.

Either way, Link continued to tell about his mission. Inside Death Mountain lives a large tribe of Gorons, inside a large cavern complex. The Zora Domain was also a cavern complex. Or rather, a grotto complex, Link corrected himself, with a bi underground lake and waterfalls. The entrance to the domain itself was barred by a huge waterfall!

"Sounds like a scary place..." Linkle commented before taking a swig.

Link put down his tankard and shook his head. It wasn't scary at all; quite the opposite in fact. The first time Link had entered the domain he had been fascinated by its aquatic, mystic beauty.

"So... why did the princess want you to go to those two places?"

Link answered that both the Gorons and the Zoras were allies of Hyrule, but for some reason they had failed to send any troops. And they hadn't responded to the King's messages either. So the princess had wanted Link to deliver another request for aid to the two races. But since Link had shown himself so observant and smart, she had given him the order to investigate what had prevented the Gorons and the Zoras from sending aid in the first place.

"Did something happen to them?"

Link gave a big nod. It had all been the evil warlord's, Ganondorf's, doing. The Gorons were beleaguered and imprisoned by an evil geomancer. With his big magic drums he could cause tremors and cave-ins... and he had intended to cause Death Mountain to erupt! The Zoras on the other hand were all sick; a poison-brewer had contaminated their waters! The whole Zora Domain was infested by foul, poisonous algae. And any Zora that was still strong enough to move had his hands full taking care of the other Zoras.

"Wait, I think I heard about that... didn't you liberate both the Gorons and the Zoras?" Linkle asked before drinking another swig from her tankard.

Link did too before he asnwered. After a lot of trouble he did defeat both the geomancer and the poison brewer, and thereby allowed the Gorons, and later the Zoras, to join the war. And not just them! After his successful mission, the princess had sent him all throughout Hyrule to give aid wherever was aid needed. And soon, the war council decided to use Link to win the war.

"How?"

Through infiltration, and assassination. Ganondorf's army was backed by evil sorcerers and all kinds of monstrous beasts. It fell unto Link to sneak behind enemy lines and break into hostile camps and fortresses and deal with whoever or whatever gave Ganondorf's forces an advantage. Once they were defeated, the Hyrulean army could deal with the rest. Before long, Hyrule's army had driven back Ganondorf's horde and once Link had defeated the evil warlord himself, so was the rest of his horde.

After the end of the war, the princess had Link knighted, and Link had stayed at the castle and continued to serve as the royal courier, but...

"But what?" Linkle wanted to know.

Link sighed sadly. He emptied his tankard again; he needed that before he continued.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Wow... this chapter ended up longer than I expected!**

 **'Like the name I gave Link? I love medieval adventure stories and I just love those hero-names:**

 **Eragon Shadeslayer... Saphira Brightscale... Torin Oakenshield... Sturm Brightblade... Tanis Half-Elven...**

 **Sunflash the Mace... Boar the Fighter... Peter Wolf's-Bane...**

 **Why does Link never get such a name?! Not even here on this website! He's got to have one! Am I actually the first writer who thought of naming Link properly?! If so, or if I am just one of the very few, then I'm rather proud of myself!**

 **Any form of constructive criticism is welcome, in fact they are the reason I keep on writing, but since nobody seems to want to review my stories maybe you could give me a number rating instead?**

 **Rate this chapter (or the whole story up to now, you decide) from 0 to 10.**

 **0 = Delete this shit!**

 **10 = Perfect**

* * *

 **PS: I know little about blacksmithing (I really would like to learn though) so if my statement about furnace, with molten iron is incorrect, please don't just tell me; tell me what terms to use and how to correct it! I tried to find the correct terms but found nothing.**

 **Also, the next chapter might take a while; I'm still working on it. This story was supposed to be five chapters long; I might make it seven.**


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